ODBC Integration Setup

AccountEdge ODBC is an ODBC driver that makes a company file's data accessible from other applications. It acts as an interface between the company file and a third-party app, interpreting requests and returning data using ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) -- a standard database access method. It is a one-way connection: data flows out of the AccountEdge company file to the third-party application, not the other way around.

This guide covers how to:

• Install AccountEdge ODBC
• Define a company file as an ODBC data source
• Register a company file to enable ODBC access
• Test an ODBC data source connection
• Get help with AccountEdge ODBC Direct

Recommended system requirements

• Windows 11
• Windows Server 2019 or later (Small Business Edition is not supported)

Once a customer signs up for ODBC, they receive a download link by email containing the installer for the ODBC driver.

1. Download the installer from the link provided in the email.
2. Double-click the installer file.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

1. Click the Search button on the Windows taskbar and search for ODBC Data Sources (32-bit). Open it.
2. When the ODBC Data Source Administrator opens, go to the User DSN tab and click Add.
3. Scroll through the list and select MYOUSXXXX or MYOCAXXXX, then click Finish. (MYOUS or MYOCA is the driver's name; the last four digits are the release version, which should match the customer's AccountEdge version/year.)
4. Enter a Data Source Name and Description of the customer's choice -- this name will appear later when creating ODBC connections.
5. Click Browse, navigate to the location of the AccountEdge company file, and select it.
6. Under Username and Password, enter a unique user ID and password if applicable. If no password is set, leave the field blank.
7. Click OK to save the DSN.

The ODBC Test Connection utility verifies that the driver is installed correctly and that the data source is accessible.

1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to: MYOBODBCUS34.1\bin\iwinnt
2. Double-click TestConnection.exe to open the ODBC TestConnection window.
3. Select the DSN option, then choose the appropriate driver's name from the Driver Name list.
4. From the Data Source Name (DSN) drop-down, select the DSN created earlier, then click Test.

If the connection is successful, the lower section of the window displays details of the company file the DSN is connected to.

The following steps describe how to connect an ODBC-compatible application to AccountEdge data. Power BI (32-bit) is used here as an example.

1. Open the application to be used for data visualization -- for example, Power BI (32-bit).
2. Go to Get Data > More > Other > ODBC.
3. On the next screen, use the Data source name drop-down to select the DSN created earlier, then click OK.
4. A credentials window will appear -- enter the same username and password that were used when creating the DSN.
5. Once connected, all available indexes from the AccountEdge company file will be visible. Selecting any index shows a preview of the data. From there, the data can be loaded directly or transformed as needed for visualization.

Error 1: Architecture Mismatch

ERROR [IM014]

The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver (32-bit) and Application (64-bit). This is the most common ODBC error -- it occurs when a 32-bit ODBC connection is configured but a 64-bit application is being used.

1. Go to the application where ODBC is being used (commonly Excel, MS Access, or Power BI).
2. Open the About page of that application.
3. Confirm the application is 32-bit and not 64-bit.
4. If the application is 32-bit but the error persists, reconfigure the DSN from the ODBC Data Sources Administrator (32-bit) -- see Configure ODBC above.

Error 2: Unidentified Connection Error

ERROR [HZ080]

"[AccountEdge ODBC] -- An unidentified error has occurred. A connection with the company file could not be established." This typically means the company file name is too long, contains unsupported characters, or the file location is inaccessible.

1. Move the company file to a local folder such as Desktop or Documents.
2. Rename the file to remove any special characters.
3. Reconfigure the DSN from the ODBC Data Sources Administrator (32-bit) -- see Configure ODBC above.

Useful information when handling ODBC-related support calls: